This invention relates to apparatus for treating turf and the subsoil under the turf to maintain the turf and subsoil.
The term turf as herein used refers to the upper layer of earth that is exposed to ambient air. The turf may be bare of vegetation or support grass or the like. The term subsoil or subsoil profile as herein used refers to one or more soil layers that are situated immediately below the turf and may be made up of natural or prepared layers of various constituents such as sand, gravel, and mixes containing organic and other substances that might promote the growth and well being of plant life.
In many soil related environments, it is important to maintain the soil and turf temperature at a desired level. One such application involves putting greens found on golf courses. The special grasses used in the construction of these greens are typically temperature sensitive and some grasses cannot tolerate even relatively small changes in temperatures once beyond their adaptation range. Bent grasses used on some courses in southern states are native to more northern climates and cannot tolerate high summer-time temperatures and humidities. As a consequence, the grass can quickly wilt if special precautions are not taken to protect it. One such procedure is to move air over the green surface using rather large and noisy electric fans. Needless to say, the equipment involved is extremely expensive to both procure and operate and detracts from the game itself. Constant watering and syringing of the grass is also employed, however, this procedure is expensive, time consuming and not wholly satisfactory due to increase of disease potential. Heating greens has proven to be an even greater problem.
There are also other applications where it is important to maintain soil and turf temperatures within a desired range. One such application relates to brooder houses for poultry where the poultry is raised on bare turf. Poultry are susceptible to many diseases and are generally intolerant to climatic changes. Keeping the soil of these brooder houses at a healthy temperature has long been a problem. Here again, different types of above and below ground heating systems have been tried with varying degrees of success.